Page 88 of Claiming Pretty

“Scáth!” I tried again, screaming against the gag, even as the intruder grabbed my wrists and taped them up in front of me, binding me with brutal efficiency.

“Shut up, Ava,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “He’s not waking up anytime soon.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My mind reeled. Had he drugged Scáth? Or was Scáthdead? Did this bastard kill him?

No.

No.

And Ty. Oh God, Ty. Where was Ty?

I glanced to the door and screamed again, hoping, praying that Ty would hear me and come running.

But the door remained closed.

I struggled, trying to clear the fog of fear and think. Ty had taught me what to do in situations like this—how to fight, how to escape.

But my thoughts were a tangled mess, grief and terror crushing down on me until I could hardly breathe.

I kicked out wildly, managing to connect once with the intruder’s side, but his weight bore down on me, pinning my legs. The tape came next, wrapping around my ankles in tight, unforgiving loops.

I screamed again, muffled and useless, as he manhandled me like I was nothing more than a rag doll. His strength wasoverwhelming, and no amount of twisting or writhing could shake him.

The world tilted as he hefted me over his shoulder, his muscled shoulder digging into my stomach. My vision swam, and my muffled cries turned desperate, frantic as he stole me from the apartment, jolting with every step down the stairs.

The dorm apartment was dark, eerily quiet, the stillness mocking my struggle. Where the fuck was everyone? Shouldn’t there be students still up partying? Studying late?

Outside, the air was cold against my naked skin, but it did nothing to shock me back to reality. The only sound was his heavy boots against the pavement and my muffled sobs.

I screamed again, a pitiful, hollow sound against the gag, as he stopped beside a sleek black sedan. The softbeepof the car unlocking made my stomach drop.

The trunk popped open with a quiet hiss, and I renewed my fight, thrashing against him with everything I had left. My legs kicked uselessly, my taped wrists digging into my back, but he didn’t even falter.

He shoved me into the trunk, the hard metal biting into my back as I hit it with a thud.

“Scream all you want, hummingbird. You’remine, now.”

My muffled screams were drowned out by the sound of the lid slamming shut, locking me in darkness.

I don’t know how long we rode in the car. It could have been two minutes. It could have been two hours.

Finally, the car rolled to a stop.

My ears strained as I heard the door open, gravel crunching beneath boots. The trunk popped open with a mechanical click, the sudden flood of light making me blink rapidly.

And there he was.

Those blue eyes stared down at me, glinting over the edge of his skeleton half-mask. The corners of his eyes crinkled, as if he were laughing at some private joke.

Ty.

Anger flared hot and wild in my chest. This time, I didn’t just thrash—Ifought.

My muffled screams tore from my throat as I cursed him through the gag, words twisted into incoherent mumbles, but the message was clear.

What the fuck was Ty doing?

What was this game he was playing?

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